Drunk Thomson Air Passenger Throws Leg At Flight Crew

A drunk Thomson Airways passenger threw her leg at the flight crew Wednesday night in a commotion that forced the plane to divert to Gatwick Airport. The woman unleashed an epic tirade mid-flight and threw her prosthetic leg at the crew members who tried to calm her down.

A Sussex police spokesperson told the Telegraph that the problem began when the 48-year-old woman began “swearing blue murder” and throwing her food at attendants on the Thomson Airways flight 297. The captain became so alarmed by the woman’s behavior that he chose to divert the plane.

Rather than flying from Enfidha in Tunisia to Edinburg, the plane instead landed in Gatwick, where the woman was arrested by police at the North Terminal.

Witness John Smith, who was flying on the plane, recalled, “We were coming back from Tunisia when this lady kicked off. She was off her face on drink. She was shouting ‘I want cigarettes’ and that she wanted a parachute to jump off the plane.” Smith added that the woman slapped a younger girl, then threw her leg at the cabin crew.

The crew took the prosthetic leg, then she started kicking them with her good leg. Smith went on to say, “It sounds funny, but it was not a laughing matter at the time. It was serious. She was totally drunk. It was pretty shocking.”

The Edinburgh News notes that passengers reported seeing the woman in an argument at a resort in Tunisia before the Thomson Airways flight took off. The argument escalated on the bus to the airport, then apparently led to the incident on the plane.

Sussex Police noted in a statement that the leg-throwing passenger was arrested on “suspicion of using threatening behavior while on board Thomson flight 297.” The spokesperson added, “She was swearing blue murder, saying she was going to do this and that and the other, so the flight was diverted to Gatwick.”

The airline also released a statement apologizing to passengers for the delay and the woman’s behavior. The airline stated, “We would like to reassure customers that their safety is our priority at all times. Thomson Airways operates a zero tolerance policy with regards to any disruptive behavior on board and incidents of this type are extremely rare.”

Smith suggested that, had the crew been alerted to the woman’s earlier scuffle, the passenger may never have thrown her leg at cabin crew, forcing the plane to divert.

[Image: Javier Bravo Munoz]